Justine Keay (Braddon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. The Tasmanian Deputy Premier, Jeremy Rockliff, has said the fruit fly outbreak in Tasmania is 'a national system breakdown'. Is this fruit fly outbreak the fault of the Tasmanian government, the federal government or both?

David Littleproud (Maranoa, National Party, Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am somewhat surprised the honourable member would ask such a question in such a tone, because this is not an exotic outbreak or incursion; it has in fact come from Victoria. So the question may be better directed to Daniel Andrews and the Labor government in Victoria. How do you not understand biosecurity in this nation? You have failed the people of Tasmania. You don't understand the biosecurity measures that are taking place in this nation. In fact, we as a government have put in $200 million extra under the competitive ag white paper that the member for New England instigated. We as a federal government only this year put $9 million into fruit fly measures to ensure that there is better detection of fruit fly, and the Hodgman government put in $2 million as soon as there was an incursion. That's what a real government does. They act, they prepare and, when there is an incursion, they make sure that there are results.